Major League Baseball’s investigation into possible tampering by the Chicago Cubs in their hiring of manager Joe Maddon is taking longer than anticipated.

Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays in October. A few days later, he signed a five-year, $25 million deal to manage the Cubs. MLB launched an investigation in early November to determine if the Cubs had tampered with Maddon by contacting him while he was under contract with the Rays.

Five months later, that investigation remains in progress. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in February he hoped to have the investigation completed by the start of the season. But an MLB spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday that “there is still some work to be done with the investigation.”

The Cubs, Maddon and his agent have denied tampering took place.

If the investigation determines the Cubs tampered with Maddon, penalties could include player compensation for the Rays and even suspensions.